As the ‘blue Arctic’ expands thanks to global warming, an icebreaker finds no ice to break

Shrinking Arctic sea ice now at record-low levels has implications for ecosystems, climate, weather, and people..

During a recent mission off the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, a Norwegian Coast Guard icebreaker encountered unusual winter conditions for an area just 800 miles from the North Pole.

Open water……

At this time of year, sea ice usually closes in around Svalbard’s northern and eastern coasts. But not this year. The sturdy 340-foot-long, 6,375-ton KV Svalbard had no ice to break, reports Oddvar Larsen, the ship’s First Engineer.